Beer: Reviews & Ratings

I shared this with a friend while we were conducting a podcast about beer and we were using the unusual glassware for this great looking amber/brown ale that formed a decent head on top of our glasses. Raising the glass to the light, I could see through the amber-ish ale and the hundreds of streaming bubbles forming lines to the top of the head. That view is common with the great Champagnes of France, such as Veuve Cliquot and Krug, and to apply the same measure to an ale was another indicator of its greatness.

The fragrance of the ale was deeply malty with elements of hops and toast. The following taste was immense with malt, chocolate, black coffee bitterness, and a twist of hops. I really enjoyed this and regretted not having more to call my own. Yes, I played with it, and thought about what could make this even better or what cheese I could pair it with. (873 characters)

Presentation: Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle with a BEST BY 11/15/12 date.

NOTE: Edit of review. The final pour of the bottle was sweeter and smoother. SWIRL UP THE SEDIMENT BEFORE POURING. I'm sure it may even be more balanced and I will defintely try this again in the near future.

A: Coludy, reddish-orange amber color with tons of carbonation. Two fingers plus of light tan head and minimal to no lacing.

T&M: Medium bodied. Soft sweetness, almost like maple syrup.... and spicy. Tart fruity taste on the fade. Finishes semi-dry. The carbonation is almost too foamy, but not too distracting. Very good drinkability.

This beer pours a slightly cloudy, orangish yellow color, with some yeast in suspension. It boasts a thick, fluffy, and creamy light tan head with a slight yellow tint. The head fades very slowly, leaving a thick curtain of lace.

This beer has a spicy aroma, with hints of coriander, and cloves. It also has a slightly grainy aroma. Some citrusy hop aroma is present.

This beer tastes much like it smells. Spicy and citrusy mostly. It has an earthy yeast flavor. It tastes slightly grainy as well. It has a mild, very subtle malty flavor as well.

This beer is crisp and refreshing. It goes down smooth, leaving a coriander spice aftertaste. Carbonation is high, suiting the style.

This beer may make a decent session beer. It is just a little high in alcohol. Other than that, it is very easy to drink.

Overall: Thanks to HimerMan for another good one. I liked this beer. Southampton hasnt let me down yet. (912 characters)

Pours a very bright copper with a thick, frothy three finger head that settles very slowly to a nice solid cap. The lacing is thick, leaving behind large patches of foam.

Smell; tons of sweet malts dominate up front with caramel and some brown sugar, but there's also an underlying dusty yeastiness. There's also just a hint of some hops in the background as well.

Taste; the malts are just as evident in the flavor as in the nose, and the combination of the brown sugar, caramel, a nice toasted presence and the spiciness from the yeasts give this a flavor reminiscent of gingerbread. The hops actually make a bit of an appearance, but are driven back again by the malts.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and a bit slick, with the beer leaving a bit of a coating on my tongue. This actually helps to give this a bit of a long finish. Drinkability is really damn good. Give me a few more bottles of this and you'll make my day. (974 characters)

705ml bottle that I picked up on Long Island about 2 months ago. There's no date, but since I got this at Shoreline Beverage, which is close to the source and has a pretty high turnover, I assume it's on the newer side.

Poured into my Saison de Silly tulip. Incidentally, I always thought that beer was a lot more like a bier de garde rather then saison, and in fact turns out to be rather similar to this offering from Southampton. The color is a hazy orangish amber with a huge (I couldn't get a pour with less then half the tulip head), eggshell head that is very long lasting and rocky, leaving huge chunks of foam on the side of the glass as it settles. Very impressive, it is only the rockiest heads like this one that garner a 5 from me.

The aroma is very malty, toffee, nuts and caramel, with a hint of allspice, and sweetens as it warms, reminiscent of flan, and is equally as appetizing.

The taste is also very malty and rich, but tempered by a nice bite of minerals and spice. A bitter noble hop backbone makes it only semi-sweet, less then the nose would leave one to expect, with maybe a touch of orange, and a hint of booze on the finish as well.

The mouthfeel is very creamy, medium bodied but viscous.

This is a rich, complex ale that is made to be savored, not drunk with haste. Well done, enjoyable and worth seeking out if you are a fan of the style. Very authentic for US brewery, but then again, Phil wrote the book! (1,456 characters)

This poured a cloudy copper color with fluffy light tan head. It smelled like sweet fresh hay and bready yeast and earthy caramel, with some cream and oranges and oiled leather. It tasted like whole grain wheat and bready yeast, with some cashew and cream and leather, and a bit of citrus hops and sweet caramel. It was watery with moderate carbonation, and had a delicate sweet and sour aftertaste. Overall this was a great first impression for this style of beer! It smelled and tasted great, with very delicate and clean character. It was a little light in the body for my taste, but it still hid the alcohol well and was quite easy to drink. I loved this fresh, and the bottle suggests that it will improve with age. Wow! (725 characters)

cork was incredibly hard to get out, opened with out much of a crack at allpoured a clear amber with a big craggy foamy head with excellent retention some patchy lacing.

Caramel, brown sugar, with some tartness, a slight sourness like buttermilk as well

Sweet and nutty on the palate flavors of toffee, the toffee comes through big on the after taste mingling with some very slight smoky hints. Perhaps there is even a bit of super light and sweet coffee in the after taste. There is a slight earthiness to the flavor that I can't quite put my finger on.

thin body that has a round feel in the mouth. very wet and juicy, good amount of fine bubbled carbonation. For how wet the mouthfeel is there is a very dry feeling that accompanies the after taste. Fantastic mouthfeel.

A really fantastic beer, one I'll be picking up again in the near future (869 characters)

Pours a textbook amber color with a righteous full finger foamy eggshell colored head that resists fading. The smell is incredible; malty, lightly toasted, sweet and fruity...now "do that"!!!! Well carbonated, the mouth feel is full and incredibly vibrant. Effervescent yet grounded in an earthy malt texture. WOW! The complexity is kicked-up 'notches'_seriously worth your consideration.. especially if you can find it over the holidays. Full flavored, the earthy amber malt over heavens of carbonated creaminess delivers the goods baby! Highly Recommended! Cheers. (566 characters)

Large Belgian style bottle, caged and corked, w/o freshness/vintage/bottling info. Pours cloudy slightly orangey medium amber, seems to be fairly high carbonation, with an active head upon a moderate pour and bubbles continuing to rise pretty actively. Long lasting medium bubble head, dissolving to a ¼ inch fluffy film and leaving frothy gobs of thick blotchy bits of lacing. Clumps of yeasties noted on the bottom of the bottle. Nose is softly of honey and vanilla and perhaps a bit of soap. Aggressive brew with notes of more vanilla, light pepper, spicy honey and yeasty goodness. Complex and tasty, great with the salad and shrimps that I tried with it. Quality creation, nice job in brewing one of the more interesting and intriguing style out there. Go get some and enjoy it with all kinds of food. (807 characters)

Pours a beautifuol glowing orange with a touch of haze and a very full white head that settles to a ring. Relatively sweet smell for the style and very fruity with pineapple, wildflower honey, and cream. Delicious, with some of those same fruit notes as well as some coconut notes, beeswax, and a touch of white pepper. I really like this even though it is still a touch sweet for the style. Mostly crisp and peppery in the mouth, but the finish is creamier. Just a delight to drink. Pretty much anything in abomber from these guys is great. (541 characters)

750ml bomber: This one pours a cloudy orange-dark golden color. There was a bit of an effervescent tan head on it that dropped away rather quickly. Nice aroma. Somewhat fruity, grassy and floral. A touch yeasty also. Very nice taste. A touch of tartness is up front. Not too heavy of a body. Caramel and fruit (apples and lemon) notes on the tongue. Just a touch of spices too. Very nice! (388 characters)

taste: similar flavors, but more tart than expected, and more spicy phenols than in the aroma. fruit and caramel balanced by mild to moderate bitterness, with that unexpected mild acidity persisting throughout. with the acidity, the maltiness never gets cloying, and in fact the beer just seems "hearty". interesting indeed.

medium body, smooth with crisp acidity and phenolic astringency cutting through, with moderate carbonation that does the very same while being prickly upfront and then creamy onwards.

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice pale and crystal malt scent along with a bit of bisquit malt and a fruity yeast aroma. It seems to have a nice toasted feel. The taste is good as well. It has a really smooth toasted flavor with a yeasty finish. It's a bit sweet and bisquity, which blends well and creates an excellent balance. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a great drinking beer. It's loaded with malt flavor and has just enough fruit esters to round it out; a wondeful session beer even at 7.2%. (652 characters)

This is a really fascinating beer, rich, earthy and delicious. It is a beer to savor. But it is also not a beer for the faint of heart, or for the beer novice, so it's overall drinkability suffers.

Pours deep amber with a torrent of carbonation and a vast fluffy head. The aroma is sour and musty, with strong malt. The flavor is powerful, malty with sour and bitter character, suggesting leather and earth. There is a hint of spiced pear on the finish. The mouthfeel is rich and assertive. This is a delicious beer, but rather overwhelming. (542 characters)

750 ml bottle into tulip, no bottle dating. Cork was stuck and broke off, so I had to use a wine key to remove it haha. Pours slightly cloudy orange amber color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense khaki head with great retention that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Small bits of lacing on the glass. Aromas of big grape, apple, biscuit, caramel, candi sugar, citrus peel, grass, and spiciness. Some nice and well balanced aromas; with good complexity. Taste of caramel, toasted malt, biscuit, apple, citrus, candi sugar, pepper, and yeast spiciness. Taste and aromas almost mirror each other. Lingering notes of caramel, biscuit, candi sugar, and spices on the finish for a bit. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly creamy and very smooth mouthfeel. Very easy to drink. Alcohol is extremely well hidden, nothing but a slight warming after the finish. Overall an excellent biere de garde. Great balance and complexity. I definitely would like to try out more from this style. (997 characters)

Recieved in a trade with gregc. Huge frothy head that lasted a fair amount of time. Lots of belgian lace. A light copper colored beer. Armoma of malt and belgian yeast. Aroma doesn't do a whole lot to the beer but the flavor was wonderful. Very malty with good sugar carmelazation and a toasted malt taste, mild hop bitterness, a very well balanced and drinkable beer. This beer has a complex crisp toasty malt flavor. My first taste of a Southampton beer, I'm looking forward to trying more in the future. (506 characters)

Pours a murky brownish amber with a big bubbly head that recedes to a thick collar and has streams of bubbles feeding it throughout.

The aroma is very sweet with pears and green apples coupled with some light grassy notes and flowers. Also of note is the heavier malt sweetness than most beers of this style.

The taste is also sweet but I get more earthy character than the nose. There are sweet caramel malts in the background with a much bigger hay and grass element with a slightly fry finish. Not as dry as most biere de gardes, but not as massively sweet as I was expecting from the aroma. That said, still plenty of green apples and sugar in there.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and highly carbonated, effervescent in fact.

This is a very sweet version of the style with lots of malts and fruit which forces the dry earthiness to the back. Very complex and tasty. (917 characters)

Coppered amber with a butterscotch smear. The tone is sparkling and its complexion crystal clear. Flurries of bubbles contribute animation. Its head balloons from the pour like a heated marshmallow. It floats easily a good sized finger above the surface. Despite a few minor collapses it remains prominent and leaves an ornate decor as it descends the glass. What a gorgeous looking creation.

The aroma is near identical to that of a fine European caramel. The smell of caramelized sugars and gooey, chewy, rich caramel is candy for the nose. The brew uses French Strisselsplat hops which are suppose to impart a sort of nuanced herbal flavour. I can't pin-point anything specific but it does smell quite savory.

The taste again reminds me of a finely crafted, delicatessen European caramel. It offers succulent sweet notes of butterscotch and brown sugar. The herbal nuance becomes more apparent with warming. Savory herbs, dried flower petals and a yeast derived peppery/clove type spice are noted. A combination of stone and orchard fruits, both dried and ripened, make appearance. The taste of oven-roasted grains grows and grows.

It's appropriate Southampton only offer this beer in 750ml bottles. It's an ideal drink to have at your side in all seasons. Today's warming, sunny spring weather feels ideal although I imagine this would compliment just about any mood or time of year. I'd also presume this to pair wonderfully alongside a number of dishes from any course; turkey and stuffing was first to come to my mind.

The spiciness is light and suggested, always present somewhere in the background but never too forward. What dominates the flavour is caramel and fire-roasted grains which together impart a collaboration of dry, grainy breadiness and chewy, sugary sweetness. The brewer suggests to "enjoy now or age it for later". This bottle, an estimated year-old or so, gives good reason to believe either approach should work just as well.

France hasn't contributed anywhere near as much to beer as it has to wine. Arguably its only contribution (overlooking the method Champagnoise) is the Biere de Garde, a sadly under-represented style that can offer complexity in subtlety like few others. Perhaps the reasons so few New Age brewers attempt the style is that very fact? It is terribly difficult to achieve complexity through subtlety. In any case, Southampton has succeeded. (2,402 characters)

A 750mL bottle, faint picture of a farmhouse, "A French Farmhouse Style Ale." Back basically states, for all us mono-linguistic folk, that the style comes from north France and means "beer for storing." Good thing, as mine is 2 years old, about.

Into a St Bernardus chalice, pours a clear-ish copper amber with a nice two finger head that settles to a thick film and ring around the collar, and some nice bubbly lacing. The aroma doesn't exactly knock one's socks off, but has a nice musty, herbal hopping, faint and sweet fruits and grains, and a bit spicy.

The taste is quite nice, welcoming, just short of complex, but thoroughly enjoyable. Again there are earthy, herbal hops in various degrees throughout, but come out mostly in the finish. The malts are not as sweet as in the aroma, but still nicely sweet fruits of apricot, some grains, some tart through the middle. It becomes a bit more complex as it has warmed, but still I need a bit more. And I don't know if this one is a bit too dry for me to appreciate the taste more or what, but I find it a bit distracting. Otherwise, the mouth is solid.

In all, a fine beer, easy to drink, good for sipping, even when you don't. Best of all, for me, its a good beer to toss in the cellar and enjoy...whenever the hell ya feel like it. (1,290 characters)